Kukla's Korner Hockey

To repeat as conference champs, bigger-than-expected contributions have to come from unexpected places.

Look, given a choice between a roster with Brian Boyle (Lightning), Stralman, Pouliot and Brad Richards (Blackhawks) or Matthew Lombardi, Lee Stempniak, Tanner Glass and Dan Boyle, I’ll take the first grouping.

But Dan Boyle, at 38, should be equal to, if not better than Stralman, at least for the short term. And the Rangers have other options up front besides Lombardi, Stempniak and Glass.

Kreider’s former Boston College teammate, Kevin Hayes, has the potential to develop into a very strong off-season signing, even if it’s more likely he’ll need some seasoning at Hartford (AHL), as Kreider did.

J.T. Miller, at 21, could be facing a pivotal season in his development within the organization as he enters the last season of his entry-level deal. But it’s way too early to forget that he was the 15th overall pick in the 2011 draft and is talented, if still maturing.

Jesper Fast, Oscar Lindberg and Danny Kristo are among the other forward prospects who will be given a chance to crack the top 12.

So, in many respects, the 2014-15 Rangers enter training camp – which starts on Sept. 18 – in the same shape as last season’s model.